Seasonal “flu“, similarities that differ from “COVID-19”
“Seasonal flu similarities that differ from COVID -19”. Because both the senior influenza And younger friends like COVID-19 are contagious diseases from the respiratory system as well. But they differ in that the virus that causes infection comes from a different type of virus. Influenza is cause by infection with the influenza virus. While COVID-19 is cause by an infection with the coronavirus. That was discovered in 2019, and it is known. That COVID-19 is more spreadable and contagious. influenza
which when compared to the violence tax and complications in some patients are much more And, of course, to differentiate the two types of infectious diseases. Alone, looking at the history and symptoms if symptoms not enough to tell. That’s why Why do you have to do an examination? Get teste every time if you have any suspicious symptoms. Today we will discuss the basics of influenza. Senior friends who are trendy during the rainy season that is about to come to Thailand.
Dr. Nathanat Changngoenchan, a specialist in internal medicine internal medicine center Nawawet Hospital Provides useful information about seasonal influenza. by collecting them in an article to provide complete knowledge Whether it is the nature of contact, causes, symptoms, risk groups, including ways to prevent infection from spreading.
how is flu
Influenza is a well-known disease. And is a very common disease for Thai people Once it is. It can repeated. Can easily contacted As a result, an outbreak of the disease occurred. Although influenza is not severe in people. Who physically fit. But it has the effect of causing discomfort. inability to go to work or school It also has a negative impact on the economy and society. or low immunity Disease can be serious.
For Thailand, influenza can found throughout the year. But will found a lot during the rainy season. From June to October which will coincide with the opening period of the first semester As a result, there are many outbreaks in educational institutions. After that, it can found again during the winter. After the New Year until the end of February. But the outbreak during this period is usually not as high as the outbreak during the rainy season.
During the 2 years of the severe epidemic of COVID-19 found. That the outbreak of influenza and other respiratory viral diseases are greatly reduced. Although the exact cause is unknown. But it is assumed that there will issues related to changes in people’s behavior, such as reduce travel. Wearing a hygienic mask all the time hand care and more spacing
influenza contact
influenza disease transmission. It will contacted by large droplets. or small from those. Who are already infected and have touch secretions from the respiratory tract. Then touching the lining tissues in various places, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, or breathing. The incubation period of the virus is 1-4 days after exposure to the disease. (On average, about 2 days) the infection may increase in volume. and can spread to others from the first day before symptoms develop until 24-48 hours after infection After about 5-10 days, the amount of infection will decrease until it cannot detected. But in the case of elderly patients obese patients or patients with low immunity. The infection may be detected for weeks to months.
causes of influenza
The influenza virus before it becomes a disease in humans. Caused by Human Influenza Virus A, B, C, type C is rare and therefore not mentioned. Starting with influenza A, there are two major subtypes, H1N1 and H2N3, that continue to cause influenza in humans. The rest of the more than 130 species will cause diseases in animals such as birds, pigs and others. From the history of past outbreaks, it was found that There have been 5 major outbreaks of influenza A, the last time being in 1997. 2009 is well known. The new H1N1 2009 influenza strain, which this strain continues to spread continuously to this day. Influenza A can mutate little by little. thus making it possible to evade existing immunity is the source of re-infection Type B influenza is the only strain that exists in humans. And there has not yet been a large outbreak, with 2 species, Victoria and Yamagata.
flu symptoms
Most infected people experience acute fever. Fever is measure from 37.8 to as high as 40 degrees Celsius. Patients will feel body aches, dry cough, and may experience additional symptoms such as fatigue, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache. In some pediatric patients, there may be nausea. Vomiting, diarrhea, which are rare in adults. The symptoms and severity of the disease vary from person to person. For example, in elderly patients. older than 65 years or patients with low immunity May follow by anorexia, fatigue, lack of energy, feeling unsteady With mild respiratory symptoms, no fever, but can be lethargic.
High-risk group for complications from influenza
- Children under 2 years old
- Elderly people over 65 years old
- pregnant women
- people with obesity body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2
- People with underlying diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes
- People with compromised immune systems, such as taking immunosuppressive drugs, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or diseases that weaken the immune system, such as cancer and HIV infection.
Diagnosis of influenza
If the patient is suspected to be infected with influenza. The doctor will do a physical examination and examine the swab into the nose or the back of the nasal cavity. to confirm the diagnosis After that, it will enter the treatment process. In general, if the patient is in good health , the doctor will treat the symptoms according to the symptoms. Support and wait for the body to get rid of the virus completely. This usually takes about 3-5 days for patients in the above-mentioned risk groups. Care must be taken to prevent complications, especially pneumonia. Your doctor may consider antibiotics. If it is necessary in the event that the symptoms do not improve on the 2nd-3rd day, fever, cough, and shortness of breath will indicate a complication of repeated bacterial infection. In high-risk individuals, antiretroviral therapy is required. to reduce the number of viruses in order. To destroy cells lining the respiratory tract withi first 48 hours
The most important thing in preventing the spread of the influenza virus is no different from preventing infection with COVID-19. That we know very well That is, the patient should stay at home. maintain social distance wearing a hygienic mask To reduce the spread of infection to others, wash your hands, use alcohol gel, and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
flu prevention
- During an epidemic of influenza, hygiene must taken care of. And make the body strong Always wash your hands before touching your face. eating clean food Also known as eating hot food, eating serving spoons, and washing your hands by washing your hands with alcohol if there is no water. Because alcohol can destroy the flu virus.
- The flu can be prevented with vaccination. Influenza vaccination needs to be given every year, once a year. For Thailand, it should given before the rainy season. Around the end of April until May of each year The strains of the virus contained in the vaccine are based on the Southern Hemisphere vaccine strain.
Because in today’s society, we still avoid influenza. And COVID-19 rarely because both are diseases that are very close to all readers, so preventing the risk of infection is the most important thing. In addition to wearing a hygienic mask and maintaining social distance Don’t forget to get your annual flu vaccine as well. Because getting vaccinate will help relieve a lot of sickness. If you have influenza infection Or in some cases. That are not very infect, there may no symptoms at all. However, it is believed that no one would want to infected with both viruses at the same time at UFABET. That could disastrous for their health, so prevention is better than cure.